Online Shopping

May 29th, 2017 at 06:54 pm

I can honestly say I laughed when I read this article about this women who spent $41,000 on Amazon

She realized that she bought 427 items in 2014 or more items than days in the year. She makes a lot of money (I think $170k/year) and works for google. But she talks about how easy it is to mindlessly spend online.

I agree 100%. I know MANY people who spend thousands of dollars a month online shopping. I am friends with tons of them. I hear things like I just spent $1000/month on Amazon. I buy everything on Amazon. When I ask what do you spend, it's shocking.

I've spent $79.74 all year on amazon on 4 items. I am spending another $89 on 2 book collections this weekend Roald Dahl 15 book $48.99 and Laura Ingalls Wilder $33.99 9 book set. We do go to the library weekly but I try to buy books that are classics for my kids. I am not sure where my books went but these we'll keep and we love going to the library otherwise.

I bought ada twist scientist 10.99, usually I don't buy these sort of new books, desk chair 44.99, face ski mask 9.99, and pencil sharpener 13.79. Yep 4 items. Before buying I tend to shop around even online.

But what's worse? How many people are mindless drones and they shop on amazon though the prices are not the best. I have a friend who has laundry detergent, soap, etc all delivered for the convenience. But I pointed out she's a member of costco and shops there anyway why not buy the stuff in bulk cheaper. Her answer is that it's easier to have it delivered instead of shopping sales at costco and waiting for deals. The true irony is she wonders why they can't afford to buy a house or save money?

Probably because when I make a suggestion like shopping at costco and watching deals the answer is it's not worth their time. And pointing out that online shopping can easily lead to overspending. The answer is that it doesn't it saves money because it's cheaper.

I would have to guess that the truth is overspending is overspending whether you do it online or in stores. I actually think it's easier online because you are so disconnected from the feeling of spending that you click and buy it charged to a debit or credit card.

The woman in the article talks about it. I have to admit I try to not online shop because I think I spend more online. I think I lose track of my spending. But maybe I'm in the minority if so many people do it.

Do you shop online a lot? Does it save you money? Or do you spend more? Are you sure it's cheaper?

I just spent an hour pricing out boxes from amazon versus uhaul. Yes I have to go to uhaul but most packing supplies are cheaper at uhaul except tape, and they have an better return policy. Of course I have to go to uhaul but it's worth it.

6 Responses to “Online Shopping”

I'd say we do most of our shopping online. Now with Instacart, we buy our groceries online and have them delivered, so that's most of our shopping right there. My husband's hat business is almost exclusively sourced from online wholesalers. I check Boxed for grocery deals but the stuff we want is often cheaper in store. Birthday and Xmas gifts are actually easier to budget for when buying online because you see the total before you buy, unlike at a store.

Clothing I've found it easier to buy in store because I just don't know if I'm going to like how it looks. Same with shoes and fit. And we've tried to stop buying from Amazon because of various ethical concerns; sometimes we relent, especially if someone gives us a gift card. Oh, and their instant videos are a nice treat once in a while, so they're hard to resist for that.

But thousands of dollars a month? Only if it's planned and we know what part of our budget is paying for it. There's no such thing as "mindless" spending in my household, though we're not against spending on wants, for sure. We've just conditioned ourselves to check in with the budget or each other to make sure there's a way to pay for any purchases, online included.

This reminds me when someone gave me attitude about Ebay, around 12 years ago? Her attitude was that people think they are spending money but they are just spending more. Just like this situation. Since I am not much of a spender, I assured her you can join Ebay and not spend tons of money. But yeah, the article is good as to the importance of tracking spending.

I probably do most my shopping online. It isn't much. Convenience is a factor. So, cost is not my only concern. Though I certainly wouldn't shop online if it was costing significantly more or if it was consistently the most expensive option. & I mean, I guess it comes down to volume. I am talking $200 per YEAR in Amazon purchases. Even if it was completely wasteful/ridiculous spending, I have little room to improve or save on that volume of spending. Other online shopping I do is generally because I can't find the item anywhere else or it's significantly cheaper than any retail option that I know of.

Well, I bought a computer and monitor off of Amazon this year - though most of it was with gift card money. Most of what I buy from Amazon is with money I've earned from various places that don't do Paypal (or PayPal is more expensive)

I also have bought a lot of cat food online - through Amazon, Petco, Chewey, etc. Mostly when I've seen a good deal with an AmEx card offer, or they offer a percentage off online only that makes it a really good deal.